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From the Archive: a violin by Stradivarius, 1727

This illustration of a violin by Antonio Stradivari was published in The Strad, December 1987. The following text is extracted from the article accompanying the photograph:

Stradivari’s particular achievement was to bring the violin as near to perfection as to make improvements apparently impossible, through single-minded perfectionism and an innate understanding of beauty of form, colour and sound, a sure-footed sixth sense that is a sure sign of an artist. Each stage of development of his design seems to be a step forward, eradicating each weak or ugly line, refining the acoustic structure towards the development of the of a grand and noble model to eclipse even the elegance of his master, Nicolò Amati.

This late period Stradivari, made in 1727, is exemplified by the locally grown, tight-flamed wood of the back. Its boasts a perfectly proportional outline with forceful lines and heavy edges. The f-holes show signs of weakness in the execution, but the upright setting is similar to the ‘Lady Blunt’.